A Flower
by Rexis19
Summary: Just a simple flower, that was the prized possession of two lovers.


Words between the Mantis Lords stopped as the sounds of footsteps approached their location.

Their kin rarely approached them without reason, and when they did they would send one of the Youths first to tell them that they would be approaching.

Light but rather clumsy footsteps told them that it wasn't one of their kin, as well as that it wasn't a particularly large bug that had decided to enter their domain.

Their hands went to their nails, ready for a fight.

The bug fell from the only entrance that they could enter from, save the one that lead to Deepnest.

And once it entered their view, the Mantis Lords relaxed.

The Vessel was back, one of the many that the Pale King had spawned in order to stop the Infection that threatened Hallownest. The same one that had claimed their brother.

It walked until it stood in front of them. As one, they all stood on their thrones and gave a bow.

It was expected after all, young as it was the Vessel could challenge them to a fight and had bested all three of them in one as well.

A rare treat, for a Vessel to not only have the honour to challenge them instead of simply attacking them, but have the strength needed to win.

They lifted their head from their bow, and waited to see what it wanted to do.

Sometimes it simply came to visit them, their kind could not speak after all, so it simply stared at them and then left. Other times it would rush past them, all the way into Deepnest.

It would baffle them whenever it did the latter, but they were in no place to question it.

The Vessel continued to stare them for a while, before it took something out of the cloak that their kind seemed to be born with. It wasn't the nail that it had challenged them with, but instead was a flower.

They looked among each other for a moment.

The eldest of the three leaped from her throne and landed in front of the Vessel.

Silently it raised the flower in its hands, holding it out towards her.

Her first instinct was the shut the Vessel down, it wouldn't be the first time that a bug had come to the Mantis Village in search for romance with one of them. Assuming that they could get past their kin of course.

But before she could, she saw the flower in its grasp.

Time seemed to stop, and for a moment the Mantis Lord felt time turn back.

She reached out for the flower, and carefully took it in her hands.

She had to be careful, a simple jostle could cause the poor thing to wilt and die after all.

She looked down at the flower as memories resurfaced.

Her sisters seemed to recognise it as well, as the two jumped from their throne.

The Vessel moved away as the three sisters stood around each other, looking at the gray flower.

Memories of times before the Infection came rushing back.

They remembered the peace between them and the Pale King, both agreeing that neither would harm each other so long as they stayed where they were. Now the monarch was gone, with Hollownest fading away each day.

They remembered their brother, who once stood with them in skill and stature. Now a wild beast having giving into the corrupted effects of the Infection, just for the sake of power.

And they remembered that before that, they remembered the child that he had. One that he had sired with stranger.

She was a soft one for their kind, but she was family. They cherished their niece with as much love as they could, but even that couldn't compare to their father.

And even their love couldn't compare to the Knight that did the same.

They saw them together when they could, a mysterious figure and their niece spending time in secret. Staring longingly into each other when they weren't.

All memories of better times.

They all turned to the Vessel, who continued to stare at them with its unchanging expression. Holding it to her chest the eldest of the three got to her knees, her sisters followed.

"Thank you." They all said in unison.

The Vessel continued to stare, before it nodded its head.

It scurried away, climbing up with the walls with the Mantis Claw it had coveted.

The trio of sisters looked down at the flower, it was an object of the past. One that brought happier memories from a happier time, but also reminded them of how much was lost.

It could be simply to just toss it into the Deepnest, let the bugs there have its way with it.

The sisters walked to their thrones, specifically to the remains of one that stood next to theirs.

The one that belonged to their brother who had forsaken them for power.

Carefully the eldest placed the flower on the chair, making sure that it could stay upright and that it wouldn't fall.

They guessed now that it was here, they needed to be a bit more careful.

It was such a Delicate thing after all.


End file.
